Page 58 of From Beijing, With Love

When he stepped out of the car, he missed a step, almost face-planting right on the pavement outside Hotel Alium.

“Careful.” Yang caught him by the arm. There was a looseness in Yang’s smile as his hand lingered on Daniel’s bicep.

“Come up,” Daniel said, not really asking. A corner of Yang’s lips lifted upward as he nodded.

In the hotel room, Daniel washed his hands and changed into his robe. At the minibar, he divided a can of Schweppes between two glasses and emptied a mini Tanqueray into each.

Yang grimaced after a sip. “This doesn’t taste right.”

Daniel took a sip of his own drink and winced. He’d been too heavy-handed with the gin, and the drink was definitely giving pinecone.

“Sorry,” Daniel said with a laugh.

Yang set his drink aside. “That might be the single word that I’ve heard you say the most.”

“Sorr—” Daniel managed to stop himself before that word slipped out again.

“Shagua.” Yang broke into that lopsided smile of his as he stepped closer. Leaning in but stopping himself when their lips were within a hair’s breadth away, he whispered, “Stop apologizing when you have nothing to be sorry about.”

That was a lofty ask, because Daniel was Daniel; he was used to apologizing for things he did, things he needed, for being the way he was.

But he nodded.

“Can I kiss you now?” Yang asked.

It took a Herculean amount of willpower for Daniel to not give in just then. He left Yang hanging, taking the power Yang was giving him, knowing he would wait for Daniel’s yes, as long as it took.

“Yes,” Daniel said with a smile as Yang’s lips came crashing in.

Yang kissed him hungrily with a touch of aggression that lit Daniel on fire. They stumbled toward the bed, never detaching from one another. Compared to the flimsy robe that was practically falling off Daniel, Yang was entirely overdressed in his linen shirt and jeans. Too many buttons to navigate with clumsy fingers. Yang unknotted and slipped the belt of Daniel’s robe out of its loop while Daniel stripped Yang of his shirt, ripping off a button in the process.

For a few seconds, Daniel just stared at Yang. He had the lean build of a runner, and his skin radiated with the glow of summer. A body honed by life instead of iron. Daniel let his hand explore the terrain of Yang’s chest, the subtle ripples of Yang’s abs, and then south of there. Yang had that perpetual smirk on his lips, accompanied by the defiance in his eyes, like he was daring Daniel to make a mess of him.

That was a challenge Daniel was more than willing to take on.

Yang’s breath hitched as Daniel’s hands worked through layers of denim and fabric until he found hot skin. Daniel’s eyes never left Yang’s as he stroked him, rhythmically, methodically, breaking down Yang’s defiance brick by brick. He wanted Yang’s defiance. His pleasure.

“I want to hear you when you come for me.” Daniel’s voice was shaky. If Yang wanted him to have the power, he was going to take it.

“Then make me,” Yang said, his voice dark.

Daniel drowned Yang in a bruising kiss, tasting the lingering note of the gin while fucking Yang with his hand. Then Yang pulled his lips away, his breath shallow against Daniel’s ear, like he was telling Daniel the most beautiful secret.

Every hair on Daniel’s body stood up as he felt Yang’s hot breath in his ear. Yang made filthy sounds, giving Daniel the show he demanded as his own body shuddered in an orgasm.

“You can go wash your hands if you want to,” Yang said afterward, with more tenderness than a sentence like that deserved. As unsexy as the interruption was, the consideration Yang showed was sexy as hell.

“Clean hands,” Daniel said after washing his hands as fast as he could without pissing off the OCD gods.

“Hold them out for me?”

Daniel had no idea what Yang was up to, but seeing the crooked grin on Yang’s lips was enough to make Daniel do whatever he was asked. He registered a swath of white in his peripheral vision—the belt of his robe materializing like a magic trick.

“Can I?”

Those two words hung in the air like a challenge and an invitation. Daniel’s heart pounded against his rib cage at the suggestion of yielding his body to someone else. He took a shallow breath and held out his hands. He had never done this before—giving away control. But saying yes to Yang was easy, like taking a leap while knowing it was safe to fall.

“Am I hurting you?” Yang asked, his voice tender as he tied the soft belt around Daniel’s wrists, binding them together. Daniel shook his head. “You’ll let me know if you are not okay?”